Maritime News

Sri Lanka signs up to Maritime Labour Convention

13 January 2017

Sri Lanka has become the latest seafaring nation to ratify the International Labour Office (ILO) Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC), which sets minimum standards for seafarers on board vessels. Sri Lanka is the 81st ILO member state and the 16th Asian state to have ratified the convention.

Sri Lanka’s permanent representative to the United Nations Office said that: “Sri Lanka looks forward to working closely with the ILO for capacity building, in particular, training in the areas of labour standards and labour inspection, for officers in the Ministry of Labour of Sri Lanka.”

Guy Ryder, director-general of the ILO, commented that the country’s ratification: “will allow Sri Lanka to improve labour conditions for its more than 22,000 seafarers and ensure that ships calling at its ports are inspected in compliance with the requirements of the convention thereby promoting quality shipping and providing additional protection for seafarers transiting within its waters”.